After delivering the carnation flower basket to Ji-eun’s place, I returned home.
Out of my pocket, Gomteng burst forth silently, flying into the room.
“Hey, are you still sulking? I said I was sorry, it was just that there were so many people…”
Uncomfortable with the awkward atmosphere, I spoke toward his back.
I added excuses about the crowd, but Gomteng coldly responded.
“I’m not sulking.”
“Dude, you’re so narrow-minded…”
His tone made it clear that he was indeed sulking, and I couldn’t help but mutter back in the same blunt manner.
Of course, this time it was my fault…
But come on, going to the amusement park on a weekday after school just to look for a stuffed toy is a bit extreme, isn’t it?
Also, it was unfortunate that I was mistaken for prey by a kestrel on the way back.
Anyway, in the end, I returned safe and sound, right?
As I finished rationalizing my actions, the voices of Siyeon and the sea snake followed behind me.
“Did Mari mess up this time…”
“Yeah…”
The self-justification I had painstakingly built up crumbled in an instant.
Staring at Gomteng, who had already gone into the room, I scratched my head with my nails, and realized I might have to do something to cheer him up.
It must have been that day, the first time in my life I asked Siyeon for advice.
“What should I do?”
“Hmm, how about buying him something delicious?”
“Will that really work…?”
Siyeon’s suggestion popped out without a moment’s hesitation.
Well, considering that he’s always lurking around for delivery food, it’s not entirely useless advice…
But if buying him food makes him feel better, isn’t he just too simple-minded?
Still, having no other idea, I trudged toward the room and spoke to his drooping back.
“Hey, is there something you want to eat?”
“…….”
‘This guy….’
He seemed to have some interest, glancing back briefly before turning his head and burying his face again.
I felt like kicking him for his attitude towards my feelings and apology, but knowing I was in the wrong, I persisted in talking.
What of it if I was in the wrong?
After clearing my throat twice awkwardly, I finally managed to speak words of apology.
“Ahem, today, just order whatever you want to eat.”
“…! Really?!”
Was that really the same Gomteng who looked so drained just a moment ago? He shot up energetically.
If food will cheer him up, doesn’t that just prove he’s simple-minded?
…That thought boomeranged back to me.
Yep, he indeed was simple-minded.
Anyway, today’s dinner was a complete assembly of delivery food led by Gomteng.
Gomteng, sitting boldly at the dining table, started clicking through various shops, ordering all the food he wanted.
Then suddenly, Gomteng paused, looked at me, and asked subtly.
“Do we have to order from just one place?”
“Whether it’s one or five, just order whatever you want.”
“Yay-!”
The feast started with Gomteng’s favorite Kung Pao shrimp, followed by the burgers Siyeon ordered and the chicken I ordered.
Plus, there were pizzas, toasts, pastas, and fried snacks from the snack shop…?
Just when I thought we had enough food, the intercom buzzed incessantly.
With the amount of food we ordered easily surpassing a single meal, I couldn’t help but let out a comment.
“Hey, how much did you order?”
Food piled up enough to fill the table.
After Gomteng placed the fried snacks from the snack shop on the table, he confidently declared it was all done.
“Ah, it’s all here now.”
“Do you think we can eat it all?”
“I don’t know!”
Naturally, the food was ordered with the assumption there would be leftovers.
Even after filling our bellies, there were still leftovers of chicken, pizza, pasta, burgers, and even the fried snacks from the snack shop that arrived last.
Leaving the assorted leftovers behind, I plopped down on the sofa, turned on the TV, and waited for the food to digest.
“Hey Mari, I think a monster might show up?”
“Oh… is it that time already?”
Now I fiddled with my smartphone absentmindedly.
It was 7:43 PM; I lost track of time while eating so much.
Sitting there with a tired expression, I heard Siyeon’s voice from her lounging position on the sofa.
“Did a monster come out? I want to go too!”
Since today was a break from art class, both of us happened to be home.
Whether she felt guilty for me doing the monster hunting alone or was just excited about it, I wasn’t sure. Regardless, she started gathering her clothes to go out with me.
Sometimes it wouldn’t be so bad to go together since I hadn’t gone hunting monsters for a while due to art class, so we headed out the front door together.
As we went down the stairs, an alarm began blaring from quite nearby.
Ignoring it, we finished going down the stairs and at an appropriate spot, I chanted my transformation spell.
“Sun.”
“Moon Power, Transform!”
After transforming, I shot up and admired the view of the ground.
The darkness from the buildings and the light from the street lamps.
It was one of the rare moments while working as a magical girl where I felt “pretty.”
The scenery I could see with my own eyes instead of just from photos.
“That way!”
“I know, do you think I’m deaf?”
That thought was fleeting; I had to fly in the direction Gomteng was pointing.
Without even needing to point where to go, I accelerated toward the sound of the alarm.
More than the alarm, I was troubled by the irresistible smell of food wafting in the air.
What on earth is that smell? As I flew, I sniffed around and found that the source of the smell was surprisingly close.
I brought the toy in my left hand closer to my nose and sniffed.
The aroma of chicken, pizza, and other mixed food lingering around.
The source of the smell was none other than him.
“…? What’s up?”
“You need to wash yourself once you get home.”
This guy had no sense of smell and was covered in dirt from rolling around at the amusement park.
Just after I announced I’d need to wash Gomteng when we got home, we arrived near where the monster appeared.
Surrounded by tall buildings and a dark sky.
The monster hadn’t noticed us yet, so we landed on a rooftop, and I asked Siyeon, who seemed a bit dulled from drawing.
“How do you want to catch it?”
“Um, with an ice spear?”
“Isn’t that too one-dimensional?”
If Siyeon was talking about the ice spear, that meant the ice pierce she usually used.
Practicing a single skill is good, but it’s also beneficial to have a variety of attack methods.
More importantly, if she were to use that ice spear, it wouldn’t be a quick death, and it looked like the monster would suffer quite a bit.
“And that, does it hurt more than you think?”
A contradiction to the secret agreement to send the monster packing without pain.
Mentioning that, I tried to suggest we learn some other attack methods.
“Well, what should we do?”
“What, remember when you were really scared while hunting alone back then…?”
“Hmm? Oh… right.”
When I was scared hunting alone.
That was a memory from a few years ago in elementary school.
When I called the sea snake to the roof and even yelled at him, that time.
Siyeon, at first, acted clueless as if she was thinking, then finally seemed to remember and lowered her head.
I felt sorry for bringing up such a bad memory, but it was the only thing that came to mind that Siyeon could understand.
“No, no, it’s not that I want to scold you… I just think the attack you used then was good.”
Waving my hands to show I didn’t mean to scold her, I brought up the attack where she froze a gigantic chicken entirely.
“Oh… for real?”
“Really, or would I be lying? It must have been so cold that there was no time for pain.”
“Okay! I’ll try it!”
Reassured by my insistence, Siyeon, with a determined look, jumped off the rooftop to approach the monster from behind.
I was just sitting there, resting against the rooftop railing, watching her.
If she freezes it in an instant, it will indeed walk the path to the underworld without even feeling pain.
But there was one key point I overlooked.
Back when she instantly frozen the monster, Siyeon had been in a shocked state.
And now Siyeon was calm enough to touch the monster without it reacting.
It was like comparing panic-braking a car to a gentle gradual stop.
“Uh, hwaaargh-!”
Much to my surprise, the giant block of ice started slowly enveloping the monster instead of the anticipated instant freeze.
And we could hear the monster’s scream echoing up to the rooftop.
“Uh?”
In this situation, I couldn’t help but let out a bewildered yelp.
With a scream that was horrifying enough, Gomteng floated in the air with a chilled expression…
Looking at me as if to mock my distorted expectation.
“Time to feel pain, right?”
“This isn’t my fault.”
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